Mailbox jammed with full of spam and scams? Welcome to the 21st century when email mailing marketing is a staple along with Snapchat filters and cryptocurrency. We’ve catapulted into an era where hard selling no longer makes the cut, and advertisers have to get competitively creative to vie for attention. Indeed, compelling copywriting is a necessary part of businesses today, but so is getting past the ever-advancing technology of email spam filters. And let’s be honest, the technical latter is pretty much like the first round of auditions in email mailing. If you’re flagged and don’t get past security, your email marketing strategy will be moot.
Does email marketing really work, then, you ask? Guilty of personally ignoring hordes of email every day, you’re wondering if email mailing really works in bringing in conversions. As tech maestros ourselves, we say yay. However, this is not without a list of survival hacks to get your content through the “metal detectors” of the digital age. After all, what greener and more cost-effective way exist that enables you to reach your audience, especially in these trying pandemic times?
What is Electronic Direct Mail Marketing?
More trendily known as the acronym EDM by savvy marketers, Electronic Direct Mail is essentially the digital version of handing out marketing pamphlets. In other words, it’s a communication strategy used by businesses to reach a large group of potential consumers with the goal of increasing overall sales. It’s foremost essential to understand the psychology of modern-day consumers. And for that, the purchase funnel is a good place to start.
More often than not, it’s wise for marketers to rely on a sturdy strategy that targets a customer’s journey rather than the notion of impulse buying. EDMs help you build a customer relationship over time by offering value to prospect consumers through email mailing. This tactic is with the objective of both fostering brand loyalty and driving new conversions. EDMs are a more effective strategy than the one-off humdrum email marketing because it involves follow-ups through a campaign and retargeting ads to nurture leads.
Why Email Mailing Marketing?
Yes, we’ve talked the talk. But do people really open, read, and take action when you market your products through email mailing? Undoubtedly, it makes marketers feel accomplished to get the word out. But is there evidence to prove that the strategy doeth ring in ROIs?
The fantastic (and also scary) thing about technology is the tractability of its footprint. Unlike television ads where you don’t know if your audience is rummaging for a snack or on a toilet break, email marketing can track metrics. With the right tools, you’ll be able to analyze who’s opened your email and who’s clicked on your call-to-action button. For the obvious reasons of not having to cut down more trees, email marketing also beats handing out flyers hands down. Just make sure that you use a quality email finder tool to create a list of your potential customers. It is important t have really correct email addresses. In this way, your time and effort will definitely be justified. Still in doubt? We have statistics to show that the strategy can walk the talk. And if those numbers don’t convince you, we’re not sure what else will!
- 59% of marketers claim that email marketing has generated their biggest source of ROIs.
- 72% of consumers prefer receiving promotional content through email than social media.
- Emails work 40 times better in generating new customers in comparison with social media channels like Facebook or Twitter.
- 58% of the population checks their email first thing in the morning.
- Personalized email content delivers 6 times more ROIs and 74% more engagement.
- Video-embedded email leads to a 2 to 3-fold increase in click-through rates.
7 Hacks to Successful Email Mailing Marketing
Of course, like everything in life, success comes at the expense of time and experience. Good thing we’ve come up with a blueprint to help you get the most out of your email campaigns. Follow these tips to up your chances on email opens and clicks!
Tip #1: Establish your Email’s Primary Goal
Too many cooks spoil the broth. Unless you’re sending a newsletter to a mailing list of recipients who you are confident are interested in the devil of details of your industry, keep it simple. For starters, think of what you’d like to accomplish if and when your reader opens your email. Remember that today’s consumers are well-informed and have the attention span of a goldfish. For the most part, the objective of the email is to drive traffic to a website in hopes of achieving a purchase. Or, at the very least, create awareness of your brand’s new product. The following might be able to assist you in setting an objective for your email.
- Create product awareness: Introduce a new product or a new series of products concisely to keep your leads updated with new happenings of your brand.
- Generate engagement: Include new industrial knowledge, blog articles, or multimedia content to create interest and encourage sharing through email or other channels such as social media.
- Promotion: Instigate action with a motivational aspect by including an attractive offer that evokes an impulse to make a purchase.
- Retargeting & re-engagement: Following up with leads who have shown interest by visiting the website but have not made a purchase on a specific item of interest yet.
Tip #2: Improve Open Rates with a Solid Subject Line
Subject lines are themselves, iffy subjects to broach. After all, creativity and perspectives are both open-ended and highly dependent on individual experiences. That said, there are certain guidelines that can help you to increase the likelihood of your emails getting opened.
Recommended Email Subject Line Length
Statistics show that 61% of emails are open on mobile electronic devices. So when it comes to presenting your content in the best light, the number of words does matter in email mailing. Then comes the complexity of how different apps present email subject lines. Considering the top three viewership of iPhone, Gmail, and Outlook, we recommend that you keep your subject line between 40 to 70 characters or within 7 words. This length optimizes the probability that your subject header will appear nicely without being cut off on a mobile device.
Subject Line Content
Considering how what to write in the subject? Obviously, it’s got to be eye-catching and attention-grabbing. But whether your email actually gets opened is altogether another matter. It all boils down to relevancy. Emails that are most often opened are ones that contain personalized content, so audience segmentation is crucial. If you’ve already been in the business for eons, you’d have an idea of what your target demographic is like. But churning out improved open rates go beyond just selling to your usual demographic. Highly specific segmentation works even better. That means considering everything from the tone of the language you use to how the topic’s interest sells. Consider the age, gender, and interests when targeting your email mailing to specific groups, and make sure you tailor your tone according to B2B or B2C audience appropriately.
Tip #3: Avoiding the Spam Filter when Email Mailing
We all need to deliverer good ROIs to our bosses. But we can’t all be that one desperado on a no-second-chance date, so keep the eagerness under wraps! While a last-ditch, all-out, eleventh-hour pitch might seemingly make your email more motivational, spam filter algorithms and heuristics are getting more advanced by the minute. The last thing you need is your efforts to get caught in the email spam folder.
For starters, use emojis wisely. German research shows that using them in pairs for work settings is favorable. However, while they can make email mailing come across as more friendly, a study revealed the counteractive effects of emojis. Should you be caught in the crosshairs of making a decision, context plays a huge role. Revisit your target audience and see if having them in your subject header or content is appropriate for the setting.
Furthermore, avoid the use of strong language in your email. While having an opinion is part of positioning yourself as an authoritative brand in the industry, sophisticated technology has other ideas. Craft your content compellingly and objectively, then do a double-take with this exhaustive list of spam-trigger words while proofreading your final copy. Some general ideas to avoid are as below:
- Having symbols such as “$$$,” “?!?!?,” or too many emojis.
- Using overpowering motivational words and aggressive language. Such include words like “Buy direct,” “Extra income,” “Free gift,” “Fast cash,” or “100%.”
- Avoid sending attachments as they might be caught as destructive by filters.
- Steer away from using too many colors, caps, and fonts in your content and subject.
Tip #5: A Clear Design Matters
When it comes to prioritizing content with visuals, design is king. It’s always advisable to look up your competitors and research the best email design practices. No matter if your content is graphic or wordy, formatting plays a crucial role. The value of design is never simply about aesthetics. Adept designers create or follow a typographic hierarchy to direct eyes to the most critical message in the piece. Emails with a million colors, bold letters, and fonts are disorienting and might not even get through the spam filter. Should you be struggling with juggling opinions, hire a designer who understands the best email design practices. They are not unaffordable, and it’s always great to have peace of mind, at least to start your email mailing ball rolling!
Tip #6: Test & Realign
Even the best marketers conduct A/B testing because nobody gets it right on the first try. While some brands might get caught up in crafting a marketing email copy with a good command of the language, failure to track performances is the biggest pitfall.
Take it from those in the email marketing business, like Mailchimp, who encourages A/B testing. There’s really no cookie-cutter way to craft campaigns, and you just learn as you go. While trying out new variables such as subject lines, personalization of names and content, and sending time, make sure you keep track of metrics such as those below:
- Open rate
- Number of clicks & how they are linked
- Bounce rate
- Number of unsubscribed
- Forwarding rate
Tip #7: Outsource Reliably When in Doubt
Let’s be honest. Not every business has the resources to sit around creating content all day. There are acquisitions to be made, competitors to be defeated, and sometimes, complaints to be attended to. So when it comes down to picking your fights, there’s no shame in outsourcing. The imperative issue is finding affordable, stick-to-deadlines wordsmiths who can write copies that drive conversions.
Hiring a great email marketing writer is difficult but not impossible. And, surprisingly, it can be hassle-free if you do it right. The first round is always challenging, but once you find an experienced writer who gets your brand personality and quirks, the rest is history. The question remains on how you can identify a solid writer from the rest of the pack, and here are some ways you can assure your projects come through successfully.
- Ask for testimonials as proof of performance from the writer.
- Review some sample work that the writer has done to see if they align with your style.
- Always get a transparent quote before starting the project.
- Set deadlines and expectations.
- Give a description of your audience and the tone and language you want the copy written in.
- Provide as much product information as possible and include links to your website.
- Include your brand guidelines if you have one.
- Objectify the goal of your marketing campaign.
Hitting The “Send” Button on Email Mailing
Yes, hitting that often irreversible send button is agonizingly daunting, so do proofread your email at least three times before sending it! At the end of the day, you know what’s best for your brand and its target demographics. So trust your instincts and hire the skills where you’re lacking. Naturally, the adoption of new marketing trends comes with a reticence to take the risk and resistance to change. But consider the following of John Wooden’s words, “If you don’t have the time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?” Bear in mind that consumers, like on social media, can unsubscribe to your list. So do put in some thought when crafting your marketing email.